Gasoline additive



United States Patent 3,403,012 GASOLINE ADDITIVE Ernest Mueller, New York, N .Y., assignor to Kimco, Inc., Miami, Fla., a corporation of Florida No Drawing. Filed Sept. 11, 1967, Ser. No. 666,961 9 Claims. (Cl. 44-64) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE Diphenyldiazo-bis-naphthylamine sulfonate as an additive for a hydrocarbon fuel of the gasoline boiling range. The additive is present in the fuel in amounts of about 2.9X10- to 4.3 X 10- percent based on the total volume.

The present invention is directed to an improved motor fuel composition suitable for operating internal combustion engines. Specifically, the present invention relates to gasoline compositions whose performance in spark-ignition engines is remarkably improved by addition of a minor but effective amount of diphenyldiazo-bis-naphthylamine sulfonate.

Heretofore, efforts have been made to increase the performance of gasoline by the incorporation therein of additives to increase the combustion characteristics of the gasoline thereby reducing discharge to the atmosphere of air polluting exhaust fumes. At the same time these prior efforts have also allegedly culminated in a gasoline composition with increased power characteristics, i.e., increased mileage per gallon of gasoline.

It has now been found, however, that even greater improvements in combustion characteristics of standard gasoline compositions can be achieved by incorporating therein small but effective amounts of diphenyldiazo-bisnaphthylamine sulfonate.

Any standard gasoline base composition can be used in the present invention. Representative of such compositions are hydrocarbons in the gasoline boiling range which can suitably include thOSe hydrocarbons boiling from about 75 F. up to about 450 F. While pure hydrocarbons can be employed as the hydrocarbon component of the motor fuel composition of the present invention, a mixture of hydrocarbons such as those distilled from crude petroleum, catalytically converted naphthas such as those from hydroforming operations, catalytically cracked naphthas, alkylate and other hydrocarbons either produced synthetically or obtained naturally from crude petroleum can also be used. Such hydrocarbons in the gasoline boiling range can be isoparaffinic, naphthenic and aromatic hydrocarbons but the use of normal paraflinic hydrocarbons and olefinic hydrocarbons are not excluded from the present invention.

The diphenyldiazo-bis-naphthylamine sulfonate preferably is incorporated into the gasoline with a gasolinecompatible solvent to form an additive concentrate. Particularly effective solvents are aqueous solutions of one or more lower aliphatic alcohols such as lower alkanols having 1-6 carbon atoms wherein the alcohol is present in weight amounts of about 30-70 percent. The diphenyldiazo-bis-naphthylamine sulfonate is dissolved in the aqueous alcohol solution Within a concentration range of about 1-3 parts per 100 parts of solution.

The resulting diphenyldiazo-bis-naphthylamine sulfonate aqueous alcohol solution is incorporated in a lower aliphatic ketone, preferably acetone in amounts of about 1-3 percent by volume. The diphenyldiazo-bis-naphthylamine sulfonate, accordingly, will be present in amounts of about 0.02 to 0.09 percent based on the total volume while the aqueous alcohol solution will be present in amounts of 0.9 to about 3 volume percent, said ketone being present in amounts of about 97-99 volume percent.

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The additive concentrate can be incorporated in hydrocarbons in the gasoline boiling range in amounts ranging up to about 5 volume percent or more and preferably about 1-5 volume percent based on the hydrocarbon component of the gasoline composition. Thus, the diphenyldiazo-bis-naphthylamine sulfonate can be present in amounts ranging from about 2.9 10- to 4.3 X10 percent based on the total volume, while the aqueous alcohol solution can be present in amounts of about 9.8x 10- to 1.5 X 10- volume percent and the ketone in amounts of about 0.98 to 4.8 volume percent, the balance being essentially said hydrocarbon boiling in the gasoline range.

In addition to the diphenyldiazo-bis-naphthylamine sulfonate containing additive, conventional additives in equally conventional minor amounts can be present in the novel motor fuel composition of this invention provided these additives do not interfere with and detract from the advantages imparted by the presence of the novel additive of this invention. These commonly used additives are lead alkyl antiknock agents, e.g., tetraethyl lead, sparkplugfouling inhibitors, oxidation inhibitors, etc.

Example I A six cylinder automobile was provided with 5.25 gallons of the novel fuel composition of this invention comprising 5 gallons of conventional leaded gasoline and 025 gallon or approximately 5 volume percent of the novel diphenyldiazo-bis-naphthylamine sulfonate additive concentrate of this invention. The automobile was operated on the fuel under normal in-town conditions and resulted in a 46 miles per gallon rate.

The same six cylinder automobile was then provided with an equal amount of the same conventional leaded gasoline and operated under essentially the same normal in-town conditions. The miles per gallon rate achieved with this control fuel was 32.5 miles per gallon.

Example II A 1957 automobile was provided with conventional gasoline and was operated until it consumed 2 gal-lons of the same at an average speed of 30-40 miles per hour. The automobile travelled 32 miles during the test period for a miles per gallon value of 16.

The same automobile was then provided with a novel fuel composition of this invention comprising the same conventional gasoline provided with 5 volume percent additive concentrate described above. The automobile was operated until it consumed 2 gallons of the same at an average speed of 30-40 miles per hour. The automobile travelled 44 miles during this test period for a miles per gallon value of 22, which represents approximately a 30 percent increase over conventional gasoline.

Example IH A 1955 automobile was provided with conventional gasoline and was operated until it consumed 2 gallons of the same at an average speed of 30-40 miles per hour. The automobile travelled 28 miles for a miles per gallon value of 14.

Under essentially the same driving conditions using the same automobile but employing the novel motor fuel composition of this invention containing about 1.25 volume percent additive concentrate, the automobile consumed 2 gallons of the novel fuel in travelling 40 miles for a miles per gallon value of 20, which represents approximately a 40 percent increase over conventional gasoline.

Dynamometer and exhaust gas test data indicate that the use of the novel motor fuel composition of this invention reduced the carbon monoxide, reduced carbon and unburned hydrocarbon content of the exhaust gas to a level of 1-2 percent, compared with an exhaust gas resulting from the use of conventional gasoline in tests conducted in essentially the same manner wherein these products were present in amounts ranging from 10-15 percent.

The present novel fuel composition is also ideally suited in aviation motors.

I claim:

1. A fuel composition comprising a hydrocarbon fuel of the gasoline boiling range having dissolved therein diphenyldiazo-bis-naphthylamine sulfonate in amounts ranging between about 2.9 l0'- to 4.3 10 percent based on the total volume of the fuel composition.

2. The fuel composition of claim 1 wherein said di phenyldiazo-bis-naphthylamine sulfonate is present in an additive concentrate comprising a solvent medium compatible with said hydrocarbon fuel and said diphenyldiazo-bis-naphthylamine sulfonate.

3. The fuel composition of claim 2 wherein said additive concentrate is present in amounts of 1-5 volume percent based on said hydrocarbon fuel.

4. The fuel composition of claim 3 wherein said solvent medium consists essentially of an aqueous lower alkanol solution wherein said alkanol has 1-6 carbon atoms and a lower ketone.

5. The fuel composition of claim 4 wherein said aqueous lower alkanol solution is present in amounts of about 98x10 to 1.5 l0 volume percent and said lower ketone is present in amounts of about 0.98 to 4.8 volume percent based on the total volume.

6. The fuel composition of claim 5 wherein said lower ketone is acetone.

7. An additive concentrate for a hydrocarbon fuel of the gasoline boiling range consisting essentially of about 0.02 to 0.09 volume percent diphenyldiazo-bis-naphthylamine, about 0.9 to 3 volume percent aqueous lower alkanol solution and 97-99 volume percent lower ketone.

8. The additive concentrate of claim 7 wherein said aqueous lower alkanol solution consists essentially of a mixture of water and at least one alkanol having 1-6 carbon atoms, said alkanol being present in amounts of amounts of about 30-70 percent.

9. The additive concentrate of claim 7 wherein the ketone is acetone.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1/ 1936 McMullan 4464 XR 2/ 1960 Thompson 4459 

